It is important to know the types of services a compound offers and have a look on different types of houses for expats in Beijing to be able to reflect on it before making a decision.

Scout Real Estatehelps you to make the perfect choice, offering residential services such as apartments, service apartments, villas and the traditional hutongs or courtyards in Beijing. We also offer office space services in the city to help you with your business.

Apartments

Moma Buildings

Apartments in Beijing are usually available for a long term which involves at least 6-12 months’ rent. Some compounds no not rent an entire apartment for less than 6 months because it is very expensive for the landlord and the agency terms are too difficult to proceed.

About the fees you will have to make a difference with management fees and heating fees. Management fees include different types of repairs inside the apartment like electricity, water and small damages. The landlord normally has a contract with a management company which cares about mostly all services. Sometimes you will have to pay extra money for some reparations because it is not a service apartment with a full pack of accommodations.

Heating fees are generally controlled by the government and heating is switch on from the 15 of November to the 15 of March. In diplomatic compounds heating fees are an exception because they are allowed to switch it on from the 15 of October to the 15 of April.

The main difference between renting an apartment and living in a service apartment is basically the service pack they offer. The basic pack in an apartment includes management and heating fees as initial services.

After you have to decide if you would like to enjoy:

Richmond Park Apartments

– Access to the activity club

– Sport facilities

– Parks and indoor areas

– Cleaning services (2-3 times a week)

– Especial utilities

– Furniture

If you want to have an apartment without furniture it can be less expensive than one furnished. Make your decision before looking after the apartment in order to spend less money than necessary.

If you want to rent an apartment with furniture and you like to choose your own decoration too, it will cost you much than having one without furniture from the beginning.

Villas

Andrew Villas

Depending on your lifestyle priorities, living on a villa will be or not suitable for your stay. Most villas are located in the outskirts of Beijing in Shunyi suburbs on the way to Beijing Capital Airport. The majority of expat parents will choose to live in that villa area because it is nearby their children school. It is often also a choice for those looking for greener areas and less polluted sensation. However, living far from the city center (20-30 minutes drive) could be a longer commute to work, therefore, in Lido area or even Lufthansa area (Kings Garden), some other villas compounds can be found in order to locate your family in between both school and work.

Most of villa compounds will get some shuttle buses in order to pick up your kids to go to school, but again it is therefore not close to either the school or work.

Villas rental budget can vary depending on their completion time, layout, location, standing and availability.

Hutongs/Courtyards

Traditional courtyard residences called hutongs are small house, located inside the Second Ring Street in Beijing. They form neighborhoods joining one hutong with another. The number of Hutongs has dropped a lot since 1950 to build new street and modernize Chinese cities. The term appeared during the Yuan Dynasty and was supposed to mean “water wells” in Mongolian. Nowadays, people in China are still living in those small houses. Some hutongs have been reformed during the last years with a better heating system and jointed rooms inside. This is important to mention because before 2007, courtyards did not have heating systems and the use of the air conditioner to warm up the hutong, caused funny smells and pollution. Nowadays, courtyards turned out to be a curious and relaxed place to stay during your time in Beijing.

If you would like to live in a hutong we explain you the two available types:

Hutongs Yonghegong in Dongsishitiao

1. The first type is a hutong rented out by a Chinese landlord but without having been restored. Most of the Chinese people living in courtyards choose this type because they do not care so much about modern commodities. During the winter period it can be a disadvantage to live in a hutong because it is too cold to have to cross the courtyard for going to the bathroom or the kitchen. Otherwise if you want to enjoy the real Chinese life, to rent a hutong during the summer, is a good idea. Get involved in the neighborhood’s life, enjoy the traditional Chinese restaurants and spend time in the courtyard without the noise of the main streets. By the way, it is still expensive for the less quality the house offers.

2. The second type of hutong belongs to a Chinese landlord but it has been rented by western people to be able to adapt and reform the courtyard. The rent of the hutong will be more expensive but all rooms are linked and surround the main courtyard. The bathroom will look nice and the kitchen equipped with some electrical appliances.

Offices

With a booming economy, Beijing has turn out to be an important world business center with a large number of fortune 500 companies having established offices in town.

Short terms or long terms office rental are available in Beijing. From top grade A office to grade C office finding your dream office can play an important role in the future success of your business.

Except if you are looking after a service office, most of Beijing office will come without full renovation. It is therefore really important to always consider the cost of moving in. It is also important to verify the fact that it is possible for you to register your company in that office location for legal purposes. Regulations are often changing and therefore it is extremely important to follow the registration rules.

Friend Websites

Scout Real Estate Company

Scout Real Estate is one of the most recognized consulting company in relocation in China. Headquartered in Beijing, Scout Real Estate advises on a range of property and orientation solutions, from commercial and residential leasing to consulting and schooling. In addition, every member of our team has extensive local knowledge of the current market, allowing us to provide you with the best possible consultancy.